The British Library
homeHome  >   Online Gallery  >   Virtual books
   
print

The Golf Book - Introduction

Image of the cover to the Golf Book
British Library Add. MS 24098
Copyright © The British Library Board

The Golf Book

The manuscript known as the Golf Book is famous for its lively depictions of sports and pastimes. It takes its name from one of its illustrations which shows an early game of golf. Only parts of the original manuscript survive, including the calendar which is exhibited here.

The Golf Book is a book of hours, a collection of devotional texts for private prayer. Books of hours were very popular between the 13th and 16th centuries. Each one was unique because it was written and illustrated according to the needs and desires of the person who commissioned it.

The original owner of the Golf Book is unknown, but it was produced by Flemish artist Simon Bening, the leading master of illumination in the 16th century. Bening had a workshop in Bruges, and it is likely that the Golf Book was produced there in the early 1540s. His daughter Levina was also a miniature painter who went on to work as an artist in England.

The British Library purchased the manuscript in 1861. The binding is of purple velvet with silver metalwork and crystal.

British Library Add MS 24098

 
     
   
 

This version of Turning the Pages does not require the Shockwave plug-in. It foregoes the interactive animation that lets you 'virtually' turn pages and brings you the same high-quality images of our greatest books in standard web pages.

You can listen to the audio files on these pages with Windows Media Player

 
Accessibility  Terms of use   Site map
Copyright © The British Library Board